Are you excited for the release of Rise of a Rebel coming April 25th? Here’s a sneak peek at the first chapter! Remember you can pre-order your copy for 99c until launch day and if you want to start reading even sooner, consider signing up to be an ARC reader. If you haven’t started the series yet, I recommend checking out Dawn of a Demon first. There is some recap in this first chapter, and I don’t want to spoil any surprises for you!
Chapter 1
“Ryker did what?” Catilda’s hands slammed down on the table, her hot pink nails digging into the scratched up wood. “I knew that little weasel was hiding something behind that stupid adorable smile of his. I can’t believe he was working for your father this whole time. You should have said something before I risked my life to save him!” She snorted like an angry bull, her knuckles turning white as she pressed her fingers into the table.
“Keep it down, Catilda! People are staring at us,” I murmured in a low voice. Awkwardly tilting my head,, I scratched the buzzed sides of my head to survey the coffee shop around us.
Not more than a week ago, my good friend Briyan had died from an overdose on Bliss right here in this cafe. The image would forever leave a sour feeling in my stomach. For all the other customers, life went on as normal. A noisy queue of caffeine fiends formed right up to the door. Machines ground away to keep up with the morning demand, producing magic-infused brews that left a nutty mix of caramel and maple lingering in the air.
Unfortunately, despite all the noise, Catilda’s outburst didn’t go unnoticed. An elderly man a few tables away peered over his newspaper and shot us an unamused glower, while an impatient female in line snapped her gaze at us with raised eyebrows.
“Besides …” My head dropped, letting the short green strains of hair fall across my forehead. “I … I don’t think he was faking his personality. Ryker really does care about people.”
“Whatever you say, Zulli.” Catilda took a sip of her tea, leaving behind a perfect outline of her rosy red lipstick on the plastic lid. She leaned over the table, her silver bangles scraping against the wood. She took my advice and lowered her voice. “I know Ryker is your friend, but don’t you find all of this a little … suspicious? He admits he worked for your father, the criminal mastermind behind the dangerous mind-altering drug known as Bliss. He’s then held prisoner by Zavyr Taracula himself, and conveniently Ryker’s memories are erased of everything he’s ever done while working for your father? Are you sure you can trust him? I think you should cover your own ass and report him. This could all come back to blow up in your face.”
She leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms, and stared daggers at me with those baby blue eyes of hers. Catilda may have looked like she belonged on the cover of a fashion magazine, with her perfectly spiraled copper hair and silky top that hugged her slim waistline, but behind her pale, freckled skin was a massive brain, stockpiled with more information than an encyclopedia. Her concern about Ryker was a valid one.
“What good would reporting him do? He doesn’t remember working with my dad.” I took a napkin and brushed the muffin crumbs off my gray t-shirt. “I don’t know what to think, Catilda. I’ve seen Ryker put himself in harm’s way more times than I can count. Not just for me or Kasra, but random strangers he’s never even met. People don’t do that if they don’t genuinely care about others.”
Catilda reached for her jean jacket draped over the back of the chair and shrugged it on. “All I’m saying is something doesn’t sit well with me. Be careful, will you, hun? I told Ryker once if he let anything happen to you, I’d use my claws to gouge out his eyes. Don’t make me actually do it.”
A smile curled my lips and a spirited laugh passed through. The last week had been a tortuous hell for me, but despite my world crumbling, I knew I could always count on Catilda to help me put the broken pieces back together.
“Oh, I almost forgot!” Catilda grabbed her oversized tote from the floor and started rummaging through it. “I found what you were asking for.”
“Really? And … you’re sure I can have it? I can pay you for it.”
She nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders. “There are a million different kinds of spelled items that people use for protection. Finding a pretty necklace wasn’t all that difficult. We already had about a dozen of them in the shop. I told my parents it was for you and they said it was on the house.”
She pulled out a velvet pendant box and slid it across the table. I snapped it open, and inside was a shimmering ruby teardrop necklace. The jewel was a deep, intense red. When I rolled it in my palm, its incredible brilliance sparkled in the pale daylight filtering through the storefront window. It was simple, yet alluring. And Kasra was going to love it.
“You know you can’t bribe her with jewelry to gain back her trust, hun. It’s only been two days. Give her some time.” Catilda gave me a dismissive wave of her hand.
“I know.” I snapped the box shut and tucked it into the front pocket of my plaid button-down. “I’m not trying to bribe her. But she’s extremely pissed off at me about the whole hunting down Davian thing without her and then nearly getting Ryker killed. She hasn’t been answering my phone calls and pretends she’s not home when I knock. I’m not looking for forgiveness. I just want to prove to her I can be trusted. I can’t do that if she won’t even give me a chance. I know she loves things that are both pretty and functional, so I thought maybe the necklace would help encourage her to open up to me.”
“Right. Well, you have fun with that. I have to get going if I’m going to catch the next bus back to the shop for my afternoon shift.”
Catilda and I both rose from our seats. I grabbed my backpack and strolled over to the garbage can to toss my trash. We both stopped in our tracks when a feral growl erupted from a disgruntled customer at the front counter.
“What do you mean you ran out of the Mystic Sunrise brew? I don’t want whatever this crap is. I stood in this ridiculously long line for half an hour, watching you incompetent children scramble around like clueless idiots. You’d better go in the back and find me some or the entire city will hear about this sad excuse for a coffee shop and its lazy employees!”
The man snatched the paper cup in front of him and hurled the hot coffee at the female behind the counter. The pretty young barista, probably not much older than sixteen, turned her shoulder and winced. Bracing for the steaming hot liquid to burn her skin, she let out a terrified scream as the coffee splattered across her chest and dripped down her neck.
A slightly older female employee rushed over, handing her a towel. “Tilly, are you okay?”
She nodded and kept her eyes shut, dabbing the liquid off her tender skin.
“Sir, I think you need to leave.” Tilly’s co-worker, a friend of mine named Ambyr, kept her voice calm but commanding. She was doing an excellent job of keeping her face in a neutral expression despite the angry twitch of her lips. She pointed toward the door, but when the man refused to budge, she stomped around the counter, her long brown ponytail swaying. With a gentle hand, she attempted to guide the disgruntled customer toward the exit.
He rolled his shoulder and shoved her out of the way. As Ambyr tripped on her feet, her hand barely brushed against the man’s chest.
“Get off me! You’re getting my suit dirty with your filthy hands, and I highly doubt you could afford to get it dry cleaned on your measly salary.”
“Sir, if you don’t leave I’m going to have to call the cops.” Ambyr stood her ground, keeping her purple clogs planted firmly in front of him, hands digging into her hips.
“Go ahead. Call the cops. Do you know who I am?” He stiffened his shoulders and thrust out his chin. “I’m Cullin Maddox. Face of the five o’clock news!”
My pulse spiked at the mention of his familiar name. This was bad. Very bad.
Cullin paused for dramatic effect, like he was waiting for a round of “ohs” and “ahs” and people dropping to their knees in reverence. Something seemed off about him. I didn’t know the guy personally, but on the news he was always calm and professional. I’d bumped into him several times during my father’s fundraising events and had a few pleasant conversations with him. Now, he was acting like a rabid dog, going after anyone who got in his way. His personality, the way he held himself … it was wrong. It wasn’t him.
Panic widened my eyes when the thought came to me. Bliss. It had to be. The memory warping drug would have explained his previously cheery personality. He must have been taking it long enough that it was starting to scramble his brain.
“It sounds like I have an interesting story to report on this evening,” he continued, projecting his voice so everyone could hear. “The headline will read ‘Local coffee shop employee assaults news anchor’!”
“Assault?” Ambyr retorted. “I did no such thing. Everyone here can attest to that.”
Glancing around the cafe, Cullin wasn’t receiving the round of celebrity ovation he was looking for. Instead, heads were buried in phones, sipping drinks, and awkwardly glaring away from the unfolding situation.
“Seriously?” Ambyr addressed the crowd. “You should all be ashamed of yourselves for letting this man storm in here like he owns the place.”
“You know what?” Cullin cut in. “I have enough money that I could own this place. Maybe I’ll give the building owner a call later on and make him a generous offer. Then I’ll fire every employee here and tear this place down. Maybe turn it into a bank where I can store my fortune.”
My gaze locked on the news anchor. Even from across the room, the scent of his skunky cologne was overpowering my keen sense of smell. His perfectly tailored dark suit jacket rested on his shoulders, the fabric forming a crisp line down his arms. His full head of dark blond hair, combed over to the side, along with the smug grin on his clean-shaven face, boasted nothing but pure arrogance. He raised his hand toward Ambyr. With no desire to wait and see what he would do with it, I dropped my bag and lunged myself at him.
My cat-like reflexes engaged and claws shot out of my fingertips. My hand snatched around his wrist. I squeezed so tight I could actually hear his joints grinding under the pressure.
“My friend here asked you to leave.” I nodded toward the exit, through which most of the remaining guests inside the coffee shop had fled. Catilda backed away, staying well behind me. “I suggest you listen to the nice lady before things get out of control here.”
Cullin studied me with a thoughtful gleam stirring in his light brown eyes.
I stared back at him head on, not loosening my grip on his wrist in the slightest. “I know who you are, Cullin Maddox, but do you know who I am?” My other hand hovered over my trusty belt, stocked with several spelled powders and liquids packed into color coded bullets. “Ah, that’s too bad. Allow me to introduce myself. My name’s Zulli. I’m a soldier in the Chitol military, and I have some friends in pretty high places who could make your life a living hell. But you know who you should really be afraid of? My father. He’s the CEO of NightFly Technologies and has a lot more connections than I do. Does the name Zavyr Taracula ring a bell?”
It was a risk to even mention my father’s name, given that I knew he was up to something shady with Bliss, but it seemed to work. A slight tremor of terror caused a muscle in Cullin’s jaw to tick. Almost immediately, though, the fear vanished and his lips curled into a half smile.
“Why yes, I do know Zavyr very well.” He dropped his voice to a low whisper and leaned toward my ear. “He has eyes everywhere!”
His unexpected words transported my mind down a dizzy, dark spiral of thoughts. My pulse spiked, and I trapped all the remaining air in my lungs. Was he threatening me?
Overcome with shock, I let go of his wrist. Catilda’s voice called to me, “Zulli! Look out!”
I snapped out of my trance to see a vibrant aqua marble drop from Cullin’s hand.
“Lapsus.”
Catilda was too far away to intervene, but the full force of Ambyr’s body weight crashed into me. We both careened sideways as magic exploded out of the small object. A shimmering powder fluttered in the air and rained down on us. My head cracked hard against the wooden floor, Ambyr’s weight crushing my chest and forcing out the air in my lungs. She rolled off me, hands clutching the sides of her head as a dreadful scream tore from her throat.
“Ambyr …” I doubted she could hear me, because I could barely hear myself.
A weightless feeling overcame me, like my hands and legs had completely detached from my body. My ears felt clogged, the sound muffled inside my head. With my body unable to communicate with itself, I lay there on the floor in a helpless heap of panic. The room spun like a carousel, my head rolling on the ground as a nauseous bubble formed in my stomach. The ceiling blurred and the walls warped around me.
“Zulli … Ambyr …” I couldn’t place the voice. Perhaps it was one of the other employees? But I could feel the vibration of the cautious footsteps coming toward me.
“Don’t! Don’t come any closer. It’s a … disorientation spell.” I wasn’t sure if my words made any sense, but the footsteps stopped.
Three blurry Cullins laughed nearby, and when they spoke, they all mocked me. “Your magic is nothing compared to your father’s. You can’t stop me, but I’d like to see you try.”
And try I would. I closed my eyes, the eternal darkness in my mind still spinning. Engaging my half-spider shifter powers, I raised my fingertips into the air. The vibration of his menacing cackle rolled over my fingertips, oscillating like a pendulum as the wind reached me. With a quick sniff, I caught a whiff of that dreadful cologne.
Still lying on the floor, I ripped what I hoped was a yellow bullet from my belt and flicked it toward the vibrating sound and toxic fragrance cloud.
“Fodio.”
A yellow blur of magic erupted in my peripheral vision and a disturbing male growl followed. Feet shuffled across the floor, colliding with a chair that screeched as Cullin used it for balance. My aim must have been slightly off since the stun spell should have left him paralyzed.
“You have no idea what you’re doing, Ms. Taracula!”
Erratic footsteps whizzed by me, the sound fading as he escaped out the front door.
“Zulli, are you okay?” Catilda slowly approached me. I inhaled a few deep breaths, counted to three, and pushed myself up. Catilda grabbed an arm, helping me into a chair.
“Totally fine,” I assured her, holding onto the seat like my life depended on it. After a few rapid blinks, the world came back into focus. Ambyr was curled up on the floor, cradling her head. Tilly was by her side, comforting her.
A firm hand placed a cup of water and a towel in front of me. “Thanks for that, Zulli.”
The eccentric male stood next to me wearing more jewelry than Catilda. Leather straps were wrapped up his arms and piercings decorated every body part on his face. His chocolatey curls spilled out from under his beanie. Thick black eyeliner accentuated his hazel eyes, and a rebellious five o’clock shadow covered his chubby jawline. I didn’t recall having ever met the employee before, but the name tag on his apron said “Kid.”
“Hi. Catilda Harper.” Catilda stepped in front of me before I could respond. She held out her hand and beamed an enchanting smile at Kid. “Magic archeologist in training and Zulli’s best friend. That’s a fascinating leather strap on your wrist. The one with the blue embroidery. Looks like a design passed down from the ancient Kese civilization. Spelled for … let me guess … vitality?”
His eyes lit up and his mouth dropped open. “Uh, yeah. It is. The magic slowly absorbs into my skin throughout the day to give me a little extra energy boost. Not many people pick up on that. I’m Kidson.” Shiny black fingernail polish flashed before me as he clasped Catilda’s hand. “But everyone calls me Kid.”
Catilda blushed and giggled playfully. The two continued chatting about whatever ancient magical folklore history buffs spoke about, while I left the comfort of my stable chair to test out my wobbly legs. A heavy coldness swept through me, exhaustion taking over like my mental battery had just been completely drained. My fingers reached for the pounding area right above my left eye. There was no blood but definitely a nasty bump from hitting the floor.
“Ambyr. Tilly. Are you both okay?” I stared at the two women propped up against the wall.
Ambyr still had her face buried in her knees. Her hands covered her head and a muffled whimper barely broke through. Tilly was crouched next to her, trying to comfort her. She peered up at me, and relief cascaded through me when I realized that only a slight redness covered her neck.
“I’ll live,” Tilly answered. “Actually, the coffee wasn’t even that hot. But Ambyr … that magic stuff is still affecting her. How did you snap out of it, Zulli?”
“The military trains its soldiers to endure common magic spells like that.” I flexed my fingers, staring down at my icy hands. “Hold on.”
Canvasing the coffee shop, I found my black backpack over by the garbage bin where I had dropped it. Pulling out a sponge, I placed it in Ambyr’s hand and activated the magic.
“Devoro.”
Her soft whimpers died, replaced with a steady breath. She released the tension in her shoulders and looked up to face me. “It’s … It’s gone. I no longer feel like I’m free falling in an endless void.”
“The sponge absorbs magic.” I pulled a white bullet from my belt and handed it over to Tilly. “Take this. Healing ointment. Activate the magic to soothe the burn and heal it faster.”
“Wow … thanks, Zulli. Next time, breakfast is on me!”
I raised my eyebrows. “Really? Because I could devour everything in that display case in one sitting.”
A frantic expression came over her as her gaze traveled over to the muffins and pastries on display. She’d seen me scoff down four muffins in one sitting, but when I started laughing, she knew I was only teasing.
“Sorry I can’t stay to help clean up. I actually have to be somewhere.”
Ambyr waved her hand at me, using the other one to push herself up from the floor. “Don’t worry about it, Zulli. Thank you for your help.”
“Well, you have my number. Call me if he comes back or if the police come questioning.”
She nodded and, after assessing the minimal damage to the cafe, moved to grab the mop from behind the counter. Grabbing my backpack, I swung it over my shoulder and checked the time on my phone.
“Catilda! Come on. We gotta go. You’re gonna miss the bus.” It felt like I was wearing concrete blocks for shoes, and I exhaustedly dragged my heavy feet toward the exit.
There must have been an exchange of contact information, because Kid was smiling at a crumpled up white napkin with a very familiar red lipstick print on it. Catilda waved an enthusiastic goodbye, and she bounced out of the cafe behind me.
It was a gloomy spring day in the city of Chitol. Thick gray clouds loomed above the tall city skyscrapers, the warm sun refusing to make an appearance. A brisk wind slapped me in the face and sent a shiver down my arms. I wrapped them around my chest, trying to keep the cold from biting my skin. I hadn’t worn a jacket this morning, but I had wished I did.
“So, who’s your new friend?” I asked Catilda, both skeptical and a little nosy.
“Oh come on, hun. You know I’m a sucker for the bad boys, and it’s not like you were going to ask him out.” Catilda waited a whole three seconds before turning the questions to me. “You want to tell me what happened back there?”
“A crazy news anchor got pissed off that he didn’t get his coffee and took it out on me. I’m not like that when I wake up in the morning, am I?”
Catilda jabbed me in the ribs. “Not funny, dummy. I saw you flinch back there. It was only a fraction of a second, but Cullin whispered something to you and it got you spooked. What did he say?”
I dug my trembling hands into my pockets, shrugging at Catilda’s question and keeping my gaze focused ahead. “You remember that crumpled up list of names I found the night of the attack on NightFly Technologies?”
“Yeah, sure. Wait … was Cullin …” Catilda’s fierce grip tightened around my arm.
“Yup. Although I’m still trying to figure out what that list was intended for. My best guess is that my dad is targeting them. Of the names I recognized, they were all authority figures.” Catilda gasped, and I peered over to see a crinkle forming between her brow. “Cullin said my father has eyes everywhere. What’s that even supposed to mean?”
Catilda wrapped her arms around mine and leaned her head against my shoulder. We continued to walk alongside each other down the street. “Sounds like a threat to me. I told you to be careful, Zulli. Do you think Zavyr is watching you?”
The second she mentioned it, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Trying not to attract attention, I scratched my head and stretched around to see if anyone might be following. Busy pedestrians zoomed by us, walked into office buildings, or turned the corner of the street. No one was giving off stalker vibes.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he was.” We approached the crowded bus stop just as the bus pulled up and passengers started piling on to grab a seat.
Catilda let go of me to give me a hug. She clasped my hands in hers and squeezed. “Call me later? After your big meeting with the colonel?”
“Sure.”
Catilda started heading toward the bus, but stopped when I didn’t let go of her hands. “What is it?”
“My father … I don’t think he’d hurt me, but he has no problem hurting my friends. If you have even the slightest worry that something might be wrong, please call me? Or your parents? Or … anyone you can trust.”
Her radiant smile lit up the dreary gray city around us. “Of course, Zulli. You’re number one on my speed dial.”
With that she skipped over to the bus just as the doors were about to shut. I glimpsed her waving as the vehicle pulled out into the road.
Raindrops started dotting the sidewalk as I began making my way back to my apartment. My body still felt disconnected, cold, and numb, with a foreboding feeling of emptiness settling over me. It wasn’t Cullin’s attack or frigid rain against my skin.
I knew exactly what was causing it. I had lost my magic.
Thanks for reading this excerpt. What are you waiting for? Grab Rise of a Rebel now or get started with Dawn of a Demon!
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